Anthony Costa is a writer, designer and illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. These alternate AFL and NRL football graphics are inspired by his love of heritage sports logos and uniforms. Got a comment or design project? Email Anthony at [email protected].

West Coast Eagles new logo (AFL)

July 10, 2011

Comments

The other day I had a look at the West Coast Eagles logo and professed my love of the original 1987 design. To me it's a lot sharper and more focussed than the club's current stretched-out emblem. The original had a great shape and a dynamic zest to it, plus it slotted really neatly into the peak formed by the 'wings' of the original West Coast jumper (their best design by far and still the club's definitive uniform). So it got me thinking, what if you took the basic shape of the original West Coast logo and preserved the way it meshed into the original jumper, but added some facial definition to bring out the charecter and fierce attitude of the eagle? Would it click?

Well here it is, old vs new. I think it's a pretty solid rennovation which extends the spirit in the original but cements it with a new boldness. The exaggerated swooping beak is the key element here and I've kept the basic outline, but blended it more with the rest of the face. I've also kept the Dynamo 'EAGLES' script. If you were designing this logo from scratch today Dynamo might not be a fashionable font choice but I like its crispness. Strong and unique without going over the top.

The revamped eagle head fits in well with the gold jumper, which for me is the club's most distinctive onfield look. There's a lot of blue and dark sombre colours in the AFL... reckon this jumper would really light things up. Great to see it for the 25th anniversary and I'm sure we'll see more of it if jumper sales are any guide.

With or without the shield this logo stands up. Here's a look at three colourways that reflect the evolution of the West Coast Eagles playing strip over the years. For me royal blue and gold is a real well balanced blend, and it's the best off-field merch combo as well. Navy blue and gold looks a bit too close to yellow and black, and the old powder blue is perhaps a bit out there (although it does look great on the current San Diego Chargers' alt unform). I've deliberately given ochre the flick. It's not an attractive colour to wear, and it's used so sparingly on the current West Coast uniform that I wonder why they bother at all.

So there you have it. If you're a Weagle let me know if this retro refit works for you!